'Street Fighter X Tekken' review (PS3)

Although Capcom has a penchant for teaming up with other developers, a crossover between Street Fighter and Tekken sounds like one of those outlandish rumors birthed on an internet messageboard. Well, it's happened now and there's nothing we can do about it. Given that both series have been instrumental in shaping their genre, the stakes are sky high, but is Street Fighter X Tekken the titanic clash everyone was hoping for?

At first glance, the game resembles a Street Fighter IV derivative in the sense that it's graphically similar and sports the same six-button interface. However, it soon becomes apparent that an equal number of features have been plucked from the Namco series and seamlessly integrated into the mix. The result is a 2D brawler that combines the fluid mechanics of the Capcom franchise with the tag system and manual throws found in the Tekken series.

The roster is vast, made up of an equal number of fighters from each series. There are some surprise inclusions too, such as characters from Capcom's Final Fight, as well as the PS3-exclusives Mega Man, Pac-Man and Cole from InFamous.

There was always the risk of this one being horribly unbalanced given that many of Street Fighter's warriors possess projectile abilities, while Tekken's do not. The developers have gotten around this by ensuring that players who master the new mechanics are a match for anyone, but more on those shortly.

Despite borrowing its core ingredients from elsewhere, Street Fighter X Tekken builds on its influences in such a way that it feels fresh and unique. Battles are two-on-two encounters where you can switch to a second character at any time, but the fight ends when either one of them is knocked out. It might sound like a familiar setup, yet the inclusion of new features such as Pandora mode and the Gem system sets the game apart.

Pandora mode is a last-ditch attempt to turn the tide of battle. When one of your fighters has less than 25% of their health bar remaining, you have the option to sacrifice them to empower your secondary character. The only drawback is that the Pandora-enhanced character only has ten seconds to deliver the coup de grace before they burn out.

This isn't the equilibrium tipper it might sound like. If your opponent is adept at blocking, activating this power-up can be tantamount to suicide, so strategic application is called for.

The Gem system adds another lay of tactical depth, serving as a means of upgrading your character. Gem sets can be locked into your load-outs to improve either attack, defense, speed, vitality or your cross-gauge capacity.

These can be used to compensate for any perceived weaknesses your warrior may have, and are activated mid-fight once certain conditions are met. For instance, a defensive gem may only be activated once you have successfully blocked five times, while an offensive one kicks in when you pull off a set number of attacks.

Again, this is an addition that could have upset the balance of Street Fighter X Tekken had it not been carefully integrated. While it's certainly true that gems can result in a cheap defeat or two when playing online, the option to tailor these power-ups to suit specific fighting styles makes them a welcome tactical enhancer rather than a wild card.

The are several game modes on offer, with Arcade being the meat of the single player experience. It has you run the gauntlet against a series of two-character teams, with a few short cutscenes to pad out the game's story. There's character banter between each bout, just like in the Street Fighter series. Players can challenge you while you're working through the campaign, though there is the option to block invitations.

Challenge mode includes a tutorial, as well as trials and missions. It's a great place for newcomers to start, but will also help Street Fighter veterans master the new mechanics, such as Pandora mode and the tag system. There are also unlockable bonuses on offer for players who complete all of the tasks, so this is a port of call worth visiting at least once.

There are extensive multiplayer options on offer to complement the single-player modes, but battles can be hampered by lag. While this doesn't occur every time, it's significant enough to put a blemish on an otherwise pristine game.

Co-operative fighters, in which players take a character each, are an innovative inclusion that ensures a different experience to what's on offer in Street Fighter IV. Scramble mode ups the ante, having all four players active at once, while Endless Battle is a marathon of unranked battles.

Street Fighter X Tekken is a bright and vibrant affair rendered in the same art style as Street Fighter IV. If you're a fan of the way the manga-esque aesthetic was used before, you'll find much to love here. The backgrounds are certainly a step up from before, since there's a lot more going on. Futuristic robots and demonic mammoths may be quite a departure from what fans of the Capcom series are accustomed to, but they certainly add color to battles.

In closing, Street Fighter X Tekken is much more than an amalgamation of two classic series. The game builds on Street Fighter IV's award-winning formula by introducing innovative new mechanics, and the result is one of the most tactically rich fighters on the market. We can only hope that Namco's Tekken X Street Fighter lives up to these high standards when it sees the light of day.